Laundry method



June 18, 1963 B. A. Buss 3,093,842

LAUNDRY METHOD Filed Nov. 8, 1957 INVENTOR BEND H M N ALVIN Buss Ema/M1, W, m q KW ATTORNEYS United States Patent snaasaz LAUNDRY METHOD Benyamin Alvin Buss, East Moline, Ill., assignor to Ametek, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 8, 1957, Ser. No. 695,260 2 Claims. (Cl. 8159) This invention relates to a method for washing materials and centrifugally extracting fluid therefrom after washing, and particularly to a method for evenly distributing the materials in the rotatable receiver before the receiver is rotated at extracting speed.

The invention is particularly adapted for use with a tumbler type laundry machine in which the fluid is extracted from the materials being washed by rotating the receiver at a high extracting speed, the receiver having perforations therein and being rotatable in a drum. In such a machine the rotatable receiver is rotated at a relatively low speed to wash the materials and is then rotated at a high centrifuging speed to extract substantially all of the fluids from the materials. In order to avoid destructive vibration of the machine it is necessary to have the materials evenly distributed about the periphery of the receiver prior to the rotation of the receiver at said high centrifuging speed.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a method for washing materials and extracting substantially all of the fluid therefrom, in which the materials are evenly distributed about the periphery of the receiver prior to the receiver being rotated at a high extracting speed.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method in which the washing fluid is dumped from the receiver while the receiver is rotated at the relatively low washing speed, then increasing the speed of rotation of the receiver to a predetermined level at which the materials cling to the periphery of the receiver but may move slightly away from the receiver, and then introducing fluid into the receiver while the receiver is rotating at this predetermined speed.

The method of the invention includes the steps of loading the materials to be washed in the receiver and then rotating the receiver at a relatively low washing speed to wash the materials. After the materials have been washed the washing fluid is dumped from the receiver through a dump valve and the rotational speed of the receiver is increased to a predetermined level. This level is a speed slightly more than the speed at which the materials cling to the periphery of the receiver. However, at the predetermined level the materials may move slightly away from the periphery of the receiver. While the receiver is rotated at this predetermined speed, the dump valve is closed and fluid is introduced into the receiver so that the materials will redistribute themselves evenly about the periphery of the receiver. After a short interval of rotation at this predetermined speed with fluid in the receiver, the rotational speed of the receiver is gradually increased and the fluid in the receiver is dumped therefrom. The speed is then increased to an extracting speed which is substantially higher than the predetermined speed and which results in the extraction of substantially all of the fluid from the materials washed.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages hereof will become apparent from the following description and drawing which are merely exemplary.

The drawing is a side elevational view in cross section of a laundry machine in which the method of the invention may be practiced.

As can be seen in the drawing, the invention is illustrated in conjunction with a laundry machine of the type having a receiver rotatable on a horizontal axis in which 3,093,842 Patented June 18, 1963 ice the receiver is supported only at one end. The machine includes a housing or shell 10 having an opening 11 which is adapted to be closed by a door 12. Rotatably mounted within bearing 13 is a shaft 14. A pulley 15 is attached to the portion 14 extending beyond the housing. Rotation of pulley 15 by belt 16 results in the rotation of shaft '14.

Mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith is a receiver or drum 17 which is wholly within housing 10 and spaced from the walls thereof. The front wall 18 of the receiver is sloped outwardly toward the rear so as to urge the materials against side wall 19 of the receiver when the receiver is rotated at high speeds. The receiver has a circular opening 20 in its front wall which is aligned with circular opening 11 in the housing, thereby permitting the loading and unloading of the materials to be washed. The rear wall 21 of the receiver is preferably heavier than the other walls thereof, so that the major portion of the force exerted when the receiver is rotated at extracting speed is exerted at the point where shaft 14 is connected to rear wall 21. Conventional punched holes, as at 22, are provided in side wall 19 in order to permit the washing fluid forced from the load to escape from the receiver in the usual manner.

Dump means, generally shown at 23, permit the bulk of the washing fluid .to be removed from the housing 10. The dump valve illustrated in FIG. 1, which is the type of valve preferred, may be a valve of the type disclosed in Patent No. 2,443,816. This type of valve utilizes a diaphragm 24 which holds dump opening 25 closed under the pressure of fluid in pipe 26 which is connected to inlet 28 by line 29. When the receiver is rotated at a predetermined speed, a solenoid switch (not shown) can be actuated to open valve 27 and drain liquid in pipe 26 so as to reduce the pressure below diaphragm 24. The cleaning fluid in housing 10 then forces diaphragm 24 away from opening 25 permitting the cleaning fluid to flow rapidly out of housing 10.

In the above described machine, the materials to be washed are loaded in the receiver and the water or other washing fluid is introduced into the housing. The receiver is then rotated at a relatively low speed while the various washing and rinsing operations are performed. After the completion of these operations, the washing fluid is removed from the housing through dump means 23. The speed of rotation of the receiver is then increased to a higher predetermined speed. This predetermined speed is a speed at which the materials are urged against Wall 19 of the receiver by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the receiver. However, the speed is sufliciently low so that, when the materials which are urged against the receiver pass through fluid in the receiver, they can move slightly away from wall 19 so as to redistribute themselves. In order to accomplish this redistribution, water or any other suitable fluid is introduced into the housing while the receiver is rotated at the predetermined speed. After the water has reached the desired level, approximately five or six inches, the receiver continues to rotate at the predetermined speed for a moderate length of time, from about ten to thirty seconds, sufficient to permit the materials or clothes to redistribute themselves in a uniform manner. After the termination of this length of time, the speed of rotation of the receiver starts to increase beyond the predetermined speed and the dump valve 23 is opened to drain the water. The speed of rotation of the receiver may now be increased to a relatively high speed which is suflicient to extract substantially all of the fluid from the materials.

By utilizing the method of this invention, the materials in the receiver will be evenly distributed against wall 19 prior to the increase of rotational speed of the receiver to thehigli extracting speed. This eliminates much of the destructive vibration present when former methods were utilized.

It is to be understood that the principles of the invention are not intended to be limited to use with the above described apparatus, nor to the above described steps, except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v

l. A method of washing textile materials and of then extracting liquid therefrom in a washer extractor includ ing a housing and a receiver rotatable in said housing ona substantially horizontal axis, comprising the steps of loading the materials in the receiver, introducing Washing liquid into the housing, rotating the receiver at washing speed through the washing liquid in the housing, dumping the Washing liquid from the housing, then increasing the speed of rotation of the receiver to a predetermined speed Which is higher than the Washing speed and at which the materials are urged toward the wall of the receiver by centrifugal force Without preventing slight movement of the materials away from said Wall, introducing liquid into the housing while the receiver is being rotated at said predetermined speed, maintaining the speed of rotation of said receiver at said predetermined speed after the level of liquid in the housing is such that the receiver moves through the mass of liquid, so that the materials redistribute themselves evenly on said wall,

dumping the liquid from the receiver after the materials have been evenly distributed, and then increasing the speed of rotation of the receiver to a speed substantially higher than said predetermined speed to extract the liquid from said materials.

2. In a method of washing textile materials and extracting liquid therefrom in a washer extractor including a housing, a receiver rotatable in said housing on a substantially horizontal axis and a dump valve for removing liquid from said receiver, the steps of opening the dump valve to dump the Washing liquid from the receiver While the receiver is rotating at washing speed, increasing the rotational speed of the receiver to a predetermined level, said level being slightly higher than the speed at which the materials will cling to the periphery of the receiver so that the materials will not drop completely from said periphery, closing the dump valve after the receiver has reached this predetermined speed, introducing liquid into the housing until a level of approximately five to six inches is reached therein While the receiver is rotated at said predetermined speed for a period of approximately ten to thirty seconds, so that the materials re-arrange themselves evenly in the receiver, said level being such that the rotating receiver moves through the mass of liquid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,847,159 Adams Mar. 1, 1932 2,165,884 Chamberlin et a1 July 11, 1939 2,309,940 Douglas Feb. 2, 1943 2,637,186 Douglas May 5, 1953 2,706,899 Meyer Apr. 26, 1955 2,757,531 Fox Aug. 7, 1956 2,760,639 Haverstock Aug. 28, 1956 

1. A METHOD OF WASHING TEXTILE MATERIALS AND OF THEN EXTRACTING LIQUID THEREFROM IN A WASHER EXTRACTOR INCLUDING A HOUSING AND A RECEIVER ROTATABLE IN SAID HOUSING ON A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL AXIS, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF LOADING THE MATERIALS IN THE RECEIVER, INTRODUCING WASHING LIQUID INTO THE HOUSING, ROTATING THE RECEIVER AT WASHING SPEED THROUGH THE WASHING LIQUID IN THE HOUSING, DUMPING THE WASHING LIQUID FROM THE HOUSING, THEN INCREASING THE SPEED OF ROTATION OF THE RECEIVER TO A PREDETERMINED SPEED WHICH IS HIGHER THAN THE WASHING SPEED AND AT WHICH THE MATERIALS ARE URGED TOWARD THE WALL OF THE RECEIVER BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE WITHOUT PREVENTING SLIGHT MOVEMENT OF THE MATERIALS AWAY FROM SAID WALL, INTRODUCING LIQUID INTO THE HOUSING WHILE THE RECEIVER IS BEING ROTATED AT SAID PREDETERMINED SPEED, MAINTAINING THE SPEED OF ROTATION OF SAID RECEIVER AT SAID PREDETERMINED SPEED AFTER THE LEVEL OF LIQUID IN THE HOUSING IS SUCH THAT THE RECEIVER MOVES THROUGH THE MASS OF LIQUID, SO THAT THE MATERIALS REDISTRIBUTE THEMSELVES EVENLY ON SAID WALL, DUMPING THE LIQUID FROM THE RECEIVER AFTER THE MATERIALS HAVE BEEN EVENLY DISTRIBUTED, AND THEN INCREASING THE SPEED OF ROTATION OF THE RECEIVER TO A SPEED SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED SPEED TO EXTRACT THE LIQUID FROM SAID MATERIALS. 